Multiple Player Spawns

I'm trying to make the player spawns change location depending on the difficulty setting. The ZDoom Wiki hasn't been any help, or I'm just not looking in the right location. While I am at it, I have two more questions, but please note that they are not as important as the main one:
1. In a map utilizing ZDoom (Doom in Doom Format), how do you make a middle texture block projectiles and hitscan attacks?
2. Where is another good source for monsters and weapons other than realm667? I'm looking for some Doom-style handguns (non-angled) and melee weapons, as well as a zombie that only uses melee attacks (as with the weapons, I would prefer this monster to be Doom-styled).

Magnum Express said:

I'm trying to make the player spawns change location depending on the difficulty setting. The ZDoom Wiki hasn't been any help, or I'm just not looking in the right location.

Simply set multiple Player Start things with different difficulties flagged. Make sure they're exclusive, or you'll have voodoo dolls.

I can't help with the other things, sorry.

ComicMischief said:

Simply set multiple Player Start things with different difficulties flagged. Make sure they're exclusive, or you'll have voodoo dolls.

Actually, that doesn't work. Player starts do not respect things like difficulty settings because they work quite differently to a regular map placed actor. Unless...

However, a feature has been added to ZDoom to allow this to happen. You need to have a MAPINFO lump and that needs to use the word "filterstarts".

From the ZDoom wiki:

filterstarts: This filters out player starts based on skill and gametype settings.

http://zdoom.org/wiki/MAPINFO/Map_definition

Psh, my bad. I swore it worked once upon a time in something I did... or maybe not as it turns out. Disregard.

My apologies.

Have the player teleport immediately at the start of the map and use different destinations for each difficulty.

For that to work, all destination sectors need the same tag. I don't see why not, however.

ComicMischief said:

Psh, my bad. I swore it worked once upon a time in something I did... or maybe not as it turns out. Disregard.

My apologies.

It worked for me a couple of times, at least when running my game from DB2. Then it stopped working. I was so proud of my UV-only secret room that started you off with a (much needed) SSG.

Good that we can still do it with these map "lumps," though. I'm guessing we have to append these to our WADs outside of the script editor?

TimeOfDeath said:

Have the player teleport immediately at the start of the map and use different destinations for each difficulty.

That can work but given that there is an engine feature specifically designed to support what Magnum Express wants to do, I don't see the need.


@schwerpunk Sorry, I don't use DB2 so I don't know what the exact method of editing MAPINFO is with DB2. MAPINFO is just a text lump - ie a text file that you put into your WAD as a lump called MAPINFO. Personally, I just create them as external text files (using a normal text editor) and then put them in to the WAD but I'm aware that some editors allow editing the lump and adding it to the WAD on the fly so that you are never really aware that it is just a text file. I'm sure that someone here will be able to help you out with DB2 specifics.

DB2 is strictly a map editor and MAPINFO is not a map lump. Use something like SLADE 3 instead to add a MAPINFO lump.

See the ZDoom wiki for further information.

So, placing multiple player starts and writing a mapinfo lump is supposed to be better than using an enter script with multiple destinations because?

I'm guessing for reasons of elegance. Why strong-arm it into the script when there's a perfectly good, non-trick, method of achieving the same?

Well, first because for some weird reason, MagnumExpress insists on using the ridiculous "ZDoom - Doom in Doom" format which doesn't make sense, instead of UDMF. That means that if he wants to have an enter script, he'd need to make it as part of an ACS library, which would require using SLADE 3 to insert A_START/A_STOP markers, the compiled library lump, and a LOADACS lump. As well as of course learning to use ACS in the first place and learning about the difference between libraries and normal map scripts.

The MAPINFO solution is about a hundred times simpler.

Gez said:

Well, first because for some weird reason, MagnumExpress insists on using the ridiculous "ZDoom - Doom in Doom" format which doesn't make sense, instead of UDMF.

I'll agree with Gez that the format I chose is rather ridiculous. Come to think of it, I'm not even sure why I am still using it.

TimeOfDeath said:

Have the player teleport immediately at the start of the map and use different destinations for each difficulty.

This wad has a working example and even a cute "loading screen" :) - http://doomedsda.us/wad1753.html

Ok Gez, then how about the player start on a scrolling floor like in the wad Memfis posted? :)

I just didn't understand why something was added to ZDoom when basically the same thing was already possible in older versions.

TimeOfDeath said:

I just didn't understand why something was added to ZDoom when basically the same thing was already possible in older versions.

Personally, I feel that letting the player spawn in one place then immediately moving him via a script or scrolling floor is far less elegant than doing it properly. By properly, I mean placing a player start spot where you want the player to start at different skill settings.

I know that in most cases there isn't a choice and moving the player after the map starts is the only option but when there is a feature in the port being edited for that is designed to do exactly what this thread is about it makes sense to use it, no? (Plus, it's much easier as Gez explained.)

Using the scrolling floor method is a suitable work around where the feature doesn't exist but, if you are editing for a port that has the feature, why sidestep it for something more hacky?

Enjay said:

why sidestep it for something more hacky?

Just to spite the programmers for adding stuff that already exists. ;)